“I thank the governor for his commitment in honoring one of California’s heroes. California should have been at the forefront of designating La Paz,” Hernandez said in a statement. “This designation as a state historic landmark is long over-due to this great civil rights leader, the state, and especially to his family.”

The farmworkers union moved its headquarters to Keene from Delano in 1971. Chavez died on April 23, 1993.

What is the State Office of Historical Preservation for if the legislature is going to willy-nilly jump the line and, without observing protocols, designate historical sites? While this may be a worthy site for such a designation, it is a poitical act.